15 Strange facts about Henry VIII you definitely didn't learn in History class

Sky Eclat

JF-Expert Member
Oct 17, 2012
57,589
215,184
Henry VIII might be famous for killing two of his wives, but there was a lot more to the life of this early modern monarch than marital madness. So just who was Henry VIII? A superior athlete, a guy who liked to strut around and show off his gorgeous legs, a talented musician who might have composed a song or two, and an all-around egomaniac. But there are other things that raise the question of "What did Henry VIII do"?

In great contrast to his later break from the Church in Rome, Henry was once fervently pro-Pope, so much so that he went to the mat for the Holy Father and got quite the honor. In his spare time, he arranged marriages for close relatives, played a lot of tunes, and loved animals. And that's just the beginning of the odd facts about Henry VIII. Keep reading to find out more bizarre things about the life of Henry VIII.

Henry's Toilet Attendant Was The Most Important Royal Servan

1593804429439.jpeg


In Henry's court, his servants vied to be as physically close to the king as possible - at all times. The monarch reserved the honor of being close to his royal person for only a few people. During his reign, only four men got the gig of "Groom of the Stool," the most physically intimate position - and therefore the most honored - of his attendants.

These grooms not only helped dress and undress the king before and after he went to the bathroom, but also controlled access to the monarch and some of his finances. They even had power over a stamp of the King's signature, a powerful financial tool.

He Was So Fat He Had To Be Hoisted Into His Horse Saddle With A Crane

1593804548823.jpeg


Everyone knows that Henry, once an athletic, svelte man, got plump, but how fat was he? Once he got into his 40s, he'd gained so much weight (some sources put him at upwards of 400 pounds) that he couldn't even mount a horse by himself. In fact, Henry needed a crane to hoist him up and drop him into his war horse's saddle.

Some scholars believe that he also needed an early version of a wheelchair to get around.

Eventually, his waist ballooned to over 50 inches.

Henry Once Planned To Marry Two Of His Kids To One Another

1593804854579.jpeg


For the longest time, Henry didn't have a legitimate male heir, so he decided to concoct what, had it come to fruition, might have been the grossest marriage ever. Though he didn't have a son by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, he did have an illegitimate boy by his mistress, Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount.

Henry Fitzroy (a surname meaning "son of the king") was named duke of Richmond and Somerset. In order to ensure that his country didn't descend into war again over his lack of a male heir, King Henry wanted to make Fitzroy the next monarch with the boy's half-sister, Mary, as his wife. This incestuous match got the green-light from the Pope, but thankfully Fitzroy ended up marrying someone else. He actually died at the age of 17, leaving the door open for Henry's legitimate kids to take the throne.

Henry's Bloody Nature May Have Been Due To Genetic Insanity

1593805028546.jpeg


Many have wondered why Henry VIII killed so many people during his reign including wives and close friends. Various theories have pointed at syphilis and brain injuries as possible causes, but it might come down to hereditary psychiatric problems in the family.

His paternal great-grandmother, Catherine of Valois, Princess of France, was the daughterof the famously mentally ill King Charles VI. Her family's psychiatric issues seem to have been passed down through the generations to multiple British monarchs, ranging from Henry VIII to George III and onward.

Henry Brought Dressage To England

1593805364393.jpeg


A true horse lover, Henry could gallop through the English countryside with the best mounted knights of his kingdom. When his mounts didn't listen to him, Henry cried, "Ha, traitor! Ha, villain!" But his key equine contribution was bringing the Italian sport of dressage to England. A sucker for the adulation of a crowd, Henry would perform at tournaments.

He specialized in caprioles, or "great leaps," making his horse jump super-high in the air, as if it were flying.

The Tudor Tyrant Wrote Painfully Awkward Love Letters

1593805541693.jpeg


When wooing his eventual second wife, Anne Boleyn, Henry wrote her a ton of love letters, demonstrating his angst at how Anne played coy. This correspondence, which thankfully survives, is fairly cringe-worthy in its sappiness.

Henry gushed, "My mistress and friend: I and my heart put ourselves in your hands, begging you to have them suitors for your good favor." Another missive even got explicit. Henry wrote, "Wishing myself (specially an evening) in my sweetheart’s arms, whose pretty dukkys I trust shortly to kiss." "Dukkys" referred to Anne's breasts.

Henry Helped Usher In An English Health Revolution.

1593805739388.jpeg


Despite his many tyrannical qualities, Henry VIII wasn't all bad. He actually improved English medicine, bringing the country further into the Renaissance. As the founder of the Royal College of Physicians, the King also passed seven different laws to control the practice of medicine.

In 1540, Henry pushed through one of the earliest laws to regulate drugs: apothecaries' wares were to be checked to make sure no one was defrauding honest customers. His reign also contributed to increased supervision of sewers, thanks to his Chancellor/future victim, Sir Thomas More, who drastically improved the quality of London's public water supply and its drainage.

Most Of The Parks In London Owe Their Existence To

1593805889291.jpeg


If you're off to London for a stroll in Hyde or St. James's Park, don't forget to thank Henry VIII. Over time, the king bought up thousands of acres of green space for his own personal use when he was hanging out at his country estates, where he went riding, hunting, and picnicking. The modern St. James's, Hyde, Regent's, and Green Parks all owe their existence as pastoral spots to Henry.

From spring to early fall, Henry would trot about the country – ostensibly to check out his realm, but really to just hunt and gallop all over his estates. He bought dozens of parks solely for himself.

Henry's Royal Lineage Ended After The Reign Of Elizabeth I

1593806046418.jpeg


Henry only recognized one of his illegitimate kids: Henry Fitzroy, who died at 17 without issue. And all three of his legitimate children, each of whom went on to rule England – Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I, respectively – didn't produce children. So Henry didn't have any confirmed descendants survive beyond 1601, when Elizabeth died, and most definitely is not the ancestor of any royals today.

Queen Elizabeth II is descended from Mary Boleyn, the sister of Anne Boleyn and mistress of Henry VIII. Despite Philippa Gregory's fictional claims in The Other Boleyn Girl, Mary Boleyn's two children from her first marriage were most likely not Henry's, but her husband's, so Henry doesn't factor into the modern day British Royal pedigree at all.

At One Point, Henry Was Very Pro-Pope

1593806129464.jpeg


You might know Henry VIII as the king who split from Rome and brought about the Anglican faith, but in his youth, Henry was a vehement supporter of Catholicism and its head. He sent tin from Cornwall to adorn the roof of Pope Julius II's new palace, supported the papacy, and was once perhaps intended for the Church himself (before his older brother, Arthur, died).

Most notably, Henry was a staunch opponent of Martin Luther, writing a pamphlet calledDefense of the Seven Sacraments for wide distribution. Pope Leo X appreciated Henry's pro-Catholic efforts so much he granted the English monarch the title of "Defensor Fidei," or "Defender of the Faith," an appellation that, ironically, the rulers of England, including Queen Elizabeth II, bear to this day.

Henry's Older Sister Was A Huge Pain In His Royal Behind.

1593806691054.jpeg


It's well-known that Henry's older brother (and the first husband of Henry's first wife, Catherine) died young, but did you know he had two royal sisters who made his life a nightmare? Henry's elder sister, Margaret, was just as feisty as her brother; she was sent to Scotland to marry that country's king, James IV, at just 13.

She did produce an heir, the future James V, but her playboy spouse didn't live terribly long; as a dowager queen, Margaret wanted to keep up her luxe lifestyle at her brother's expense, which he didn't love. Maggie battled it out with Scottish nobles over the right to serve as her son's regent, but she fell for and married another Scottish noble, the Earl of Angus.

Henry's Younger Sister Was A Rebel For Love

1593806771902.jpeg


Henry's other sister, Mary, had some equally troublesome marriage issues. He first married her to the elderly King Louis XII of France, but that monarch passed away not long after. Before her first marriage, Mary had once extracted a promise from Henry that if she was ever widowed, her next match would be a man of her own choosing. Bad idea: she chose to wed a commoner and Henry's close friend, Charles Brandon.

The king was furious that Mary would marry against his will (Henry had no intention of keeping his promise) and that her second wedding took away the opportunity for Henry to make alliances using his sister. But Mary and Brandon stayed married until her death, and their descendants included Lady Jane Grey, the infamous "Nine Days' Queen."

He Had A Musical Mind And Decent Singing Voice

1593806967517.jpeg
1593806978221.jpeg


Henry didn't only patronize musicians; he could also write a pretty mean tune. He could warble in a nice tenor and could sight-read. In addition, he was known to duet with his pals on a song or two. When it came to instruments, Henry loved to strum the lute and play the virginals, a sort of harpsichord. His collection of instruments included 154 recorders and 19 viols, among others, and each piece was often adorned with precious metals.

Legend has it that he wrote the popular tune "Greensleeves" in his youth, but it actually didn't become popular until the end of his life.
 

Attachments

  • 1593805826535.jpeg
    1593805826535.jpeg
    105.3 KB · Views: 5
0 Reactions
Reply
Back
Top Bottom